It's the title of the conference—the court of public opinion—and the topic of this panel. Professor Christopher Schroeder of Duke Law School is joined by media and public policy professor Kim Gross, senior attorney for the Institute for Justice Scott Bullock, and litigation director of the ACLU Steve Shapiro to contemplate both the influence of the media on public opinion and ways to use the media as an advocacy tool.
Gross discusses her research into the influence of media coverage on the public, followed by Bullock and Shapiro who explain the ways in which public interest law may choose to incorporate a media strategy into a larger legal battle.
"Now, from one perspective we don't want to damn the media by painting with a broad brush if it turns out straight news stories look different. On the other hand, to the degree that the general public can't distinguish those people from news or to the degree that those commentators actually influence how then journalists are thinking about that narrative, that is still a problem."
- Kim Gross